Masterpiece Academy Question

This year in this class was a lot different than what I was use to and what I expected. The past years that I've spent in AP English, we were assigned traditional assignments in pretty traditional structures. When I signed up to take AP English Literature and Composition, I knew it would be different and I knew it would be challenging. This course has opened me up to a new style of learning, open source learning, and has helped me to improve my skills in many aspects.

In this course, us students were given a lot of trust. We have dealt with points, grades, and structure since we were little; my classmates deserved this freedom. At the beginning of the year we valued this freedom and trust. We had the option to make this course how we pleased and we had the option to decide which direction the course should go. Unfortunately by the end of the year, some students took advantage of this trust. Because we had the choice to make decisions for this course, some decided to make the choice to not do quality work, if they did the work at all.


One piece that I could relate to was The Poisonwood Bible  by Barbara Kingsolver. This book was told from 5 different perspectives and it shows how differently people handle situations. This is something that I think about often when stuck in  dilemma; I constantly try to remind myself and others that people see situations different and react to them differently as well. I would say that I relate to Rachel the most, in the sense that she refused to accept the burden. This book also dealt with feeling alone, even when you have people around you. I think that everyone can relate to this sometimes because you feel as if no one understands you and it's challenging to communicate your feelings. Another piece that we read this year that I connected with was Brave New World. We are all surrounded by a world that is constantly developing and technology is growing. There are times where I don't agree with the way society does/handles things and I feel like I can't relate to people so I just keep it to myself. Lastly I can connect with Great Expectations. Respect, self worth, and loyalty are much more important to me than wealth and social advancement. A lot of people today are so consumed with trying to become popular or rich that they lose sight of having a conscience. The theme of the story and the realizations made are something that I can relate to.


This class has connected me to being more accepting of other's ideas. Sometimes we can forget that other people have their own opinions and beliefs. Through open source learning and talking out loud with my classmates, I have seen that there can be a variety of interpretations and also opinions on a subject. This class helped reconnect me with the fact that there isn't always right or wrong; everything isn't always white or black, in literature and in life. Being open-minded will give me a big advantage when it comes to learning.

Something that made me really laugh this year would be my classmates. There were so many hilarious people in my class this year that would make comments on something we read/watched/discussed that made the mood lighter and the atmosphere more connected. Some of the comments made in class were so dorky and cute that it made it even funnier.

A unifying theme that I recognized throughout quite a few masterpieces was travel and journey; whether it was physically traveling or self discovery, everyone was on their own journey. Many people had discussed how they got to a certain point in their life, how experiences have made them who they are, and how they've had to conquer some steep hills but they keep on hiking. Brenissa talked about how she was in a bad place at a point in her life where she was sick in the hospital. She had to give up a lot of physical activity and contact sports. Through this process and this journey she found her love for hiking and the beauty of nature. Melissa discussed how she likes to travel and meet new people. My masterpieces went over experiencing different cultures and atmospheres. Shailynn showed her journey since she was a little girl and how her dreams have grown. Susel showed how she has conquered her fears and now proudly sings and performs in front of hundreds of people. Matthew/Aaron talked about their journey since birth and what that journey has been like for them. Mellany and Daniel used pictures to display a journey through high school. There was a diverse variety of masterpiece topics but they were interconnected through the power of one's journey. Everyone has a story and everyone has experiences that make them who they are.


I in no way am a hero. I am an average person that someday would like to consider myself a hero, even if it's only to one person. I want to become a doctor, I want to help people, I want to save lives, and most importantly I want to make a positive impact on people's lives. I believe my adventure is still going. I have yet to find a solid mentor, probably because I am still trying to find myself. Friends, family, and any one that has ever had faith in me and supported me are my mentors. They have helped me get to where I am and will help get me to where I want to be. Through my masterpiece I discovered the beauty in different cultures. It's going to be hard moving to Texas and leaving my friends behind, but I have came to know that this will only be the beginning. This is the time that I will set out and explore the world and see what life has to offer.

Writing this essay has made me look back on times throughout the year. There has been positive moments but negatives ones as well. This journey through senior year, and throughout high school, has been a rollercoaster.

Act V Study Questions

5.8
1. Macduff was looking for Macbeth because he wanted to fight him and kill him. Macduff didn't want to fight any of his soldiers, just Macbeth. It would haunt him if he didn't kill him.

Act IV Study Questions

4.1
1.  There are 3 witches in this scene.
2.  The first apparition says to be wary of Macduff and careful of him.  The second tells Macbeth he should be a strong willed ruler- bold and brace.  In other words he should not accept defeat.  The third warns of attacking armies coming, and tells Macbeth he won't be defeated until the kingdom of Norway attacks.

Macbeth doesn't feel safe after the apparitions.  He has worries about Macduff's intentions and the possibility of an oncoming attacking army.  Yes he should feel unsafe because he is in a very precarious position.

After the fourth, the line of kings, Macbeth is terrified.  He saw the ghost of Banquo at the end, whom he killed.  This frightened him as well as drawing out his guilt.
3.  In line 158 Macbeth learns from Lennox that Macduff is running away to England.  In response Macbeth decides to send someone try to kill as many of Macduff's family members as he can.
4.2
1. Lady Macduff seems to feel betrayed and angry at Macduff because he left them (her and her son) to die. She was advising her son to dislike his father because he fled when he discovered that Macbeth is planning to kill him.
2. The purpose of the scene between Lady Macduff and her son is to have his son have false impression about his dad. Also, the scene assists in the growth of the theme : fair is foul and foul is fair. This is because Macbeth is willing to kill Macduff in order to achieve what is"rightfully" his and Macduff fled, afraid of Macbeth's actions towards him. It also shows how Macduff's son refused to believe that his father left them to die, showing devotion, faith, and trust.
3. The entire Macduff family ends up being killed by Macbeth.
4.3
1. Macduff's family has been killed. 
2. Malcolm doesn't want to go home because he's afraid of judgement since he ran away. Malcolm is suspicious of Macduff bc Macduff has his own personal agenda. He might be secretly working for Macbeth since he left his family. Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty to him and he passes. When Macduff starts to leave Malcolm takes back the lies he's told and trusts Macduff now- they're now allies. 
3. Malcolm says he's a bad king but Macduff says Macbeth is a way worse king and that he needs to return to restore peace and justice. Avarice bothers Macduff more in a king, it sticks deeper with kings in the terms of greed and lust. 
4.

5.
6. Ross tells Macduff that his family is dead, it takes him a while to tell him. Macduff says they must save their grief for later and Malcom says to turn their revenge into a medicine for their grief. Macduff says "he has no children" and he is referring to Malcom because he says he needs to mourn and "feel like a man" when Malcom tells him to dispute it like a man. To be a "man" in this play means to have feelings and don't hide but don't let them cloud your judgement.
7. Malcom, Macduff and Ross are ready to attack Macbeth's castle, they just need to go there.

Journal Discussion

I don't think Macbeth would be a very good ruler. The way he has proven himself so far throughout the play makes it seem that he isn't going to be a strong leader. Macbeth is greedy. Nothing is ever enough. He wanted to be the king so bad that he killed anyone that threatened his chance. Even though witches were seen as agents of Satan, Macbeth still believed in their prophecy because of how badly he wanted it to be true. He is becoming heartless and his greed is taking over. He even had the audacity to blame his killing of Duncan on innocent guards.

Macbeth Act III and IV Reading Notes

Act III
-Banquo is questioning the witches prophecies and that if the first one happened, the second one must happen as well
-Macbeth invites Banquo and his son over for dinner
-Macbeth says a soliloquy about how Banquo is his only old friend but the only friend that he fears
-Macbeth talks to two men who agree to murder Banquo and Fleance
-Lady Macbeth is full of despair and Macbeth agrees that he feels guilty but things must be done in order to secure his place at the throne
-Macbeth says that Lady Macbeth needs to play along at dinner
-The murderers are waiting for Banquo and Fleance
-They kill Banquo but just before he dies he tells Fleance to avenge his death
-It's dark and Fleance escapes
-The murderer tells Macbeth that Fleance got away which makes Macbeth really angry
-Back at dinner Banquo's ghost shows up and causes Macbeth to freak out; no one can see him but Macbeth which makes it seem like he's gone crazy
-Lady Macbeth makes excuses for Macbeth and the ghost disappears and then reappears so Lady Macbeth sends the guests to another room
-Macbeth says that he will visit the witches tomorrow and see what the future shows
-The witches meet Hecate who scolds them for getting in the middle of Macbeth's business; she says that she will take over
-When Macbeth comes they must send him false visions and spirits
-Banquo's murder was blamed on his son Fleance who fled, but they suspect Macbeth
-A lord and Lennox are talking
-Macduff has gone to England to join Malcom in asking England's king for help
-Macbeth is now prepared for war
-Hopefully Malcom and Macduff are successful in saving Scotland from Macbeth
Act IV
-The witches are chanting around a cauldron when Macbeth walks in and he asks about the truth of their prophecy
-A floating head says to beware of Macduff (he is not surprised)
-A bloody child says that none of woman born shall harm Macbeth
-A crowned child holding a tree says that he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill
-8 crowned kings walk by and the last one is carrying a mirror; Banquo's ghost walks at the end of the line
-Macbeth asks what this means but the witches just dance and then disappear
-Lennox tells Macbeth that Macduff fled to England
-He plans to send people to capture Macduff's castle, wife, and children
-Lady Macduff asks Ross why her husband fled and he says that she just needs to trust her husband
-Lady Macduff tells her son that his dad is dead but he says he isn't
-A messenger tells Lady Macbeth to leave but she doesn't think she did anything wrong
-Murderers enter and denounce Macduff, the son argues so they stab him and then chase Lady Macbeth
-Outside of King Edward's palace, Malcom tells Macduff that he doesn't trust him because he left his family and thinks he is working with Macbeth
-Macduff passes Malcom's test by staying tru to Scotland and disagreeing that Malcom would make a good king
-A doctor tells King Edward that wretched souls are waiting for him to be cured because the king has the power to cure disease
-Ross tells Macduff that his children and wife are fine and urges Malcom to return to Scotland
-Malcom said he'll return with the king and an army
-Ross breaks down and says that Macbeth murdered Macduff's family
-Malcome convinced Macduff to get revenge

Act II Study Questions

2.1

1.The opening gives a sense of forboding, things are not as they should be. The discussion serves to have Banquo acknowledge the weird sisters rather than claim they are a hallucination.
2. Macbeth is extremely stressed about having to Duncan and he is attempting to talk himself into committing the deed. He talks about it as if he is in a haze, a dream and he continues by making it a reality and committing the deed.

2.2

2.3 

1. The porter, in the third scene of act ii, is drunk and is pretending to be the Porter of the gate to hell. In the play, Macbeth has the trait of equivocation, where he manipulates his listener by circumlocution and the expectations of the other person without actually committing. For example, he does this when Lady Macbeth asks him to kill King Duncan.
2. The thematic function of Lennox describing the night as unruly was because that night was when King Duncan was killed by Macbeth. It was "unruly" not only for King Duncan but also for Macbeth because the guilt and fear of getting caught will always make him say and do things that might be suspicious, dark, and unruly. The scene is necessary to show Macbeth's transformation from the character before the murder vs. the character after the murder. This also connects back to what the witches had said earlier in the play: Fair is foul and foul is fair.
3. Macduff reports that the king has been murdered. Lady Macbeth appears to be horrified that this act could take place on his household. Macbeth is in encaged and kills the chamberlains. Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee Malcolm and will go to England and Donalbain will go to Ireland. They're fleeing because they fear they will be murdered.

2.4

1. The function of the dialogue between Old Man and Ross is to discuss the strange happenings that have been occurring such as how an owl killed a falcon, the horses went wild and are one another, and several other things.  This wicked behavior symbolizes and foreshadows the promotion of Macbeth to the thrown. 2. Macduff tells us from the castle that Macbeth has been made king by his fellow lords and that he will travel to Scone to receive the promotion and get crowned. He tells us that Malcolm and Donalbain are suspected of the murder of Duncan. They are suspected because they fled the scene. 

Macbeth Notes

-Great chain of being (Aristotle)
-God, king/ruler, down through social classes, servants, animals
-Gave us social structure where there often wasn't one
-"Fair is foul and foul is fair"= most memorable quote from the witches (contrast, paradox)
-Witches were agents of Satan, evil servants; witchcraft became a capital offense two years before play was published
-King was interested in witchcraft
-The devil was real during this time period; taken very seriously
-"Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day"